Chapter 26: CHP 26

"Oooo! What is this?"

I was surprised by the unexpected object, a letter, lying on my desk.

I took the paper cutter, that I never used before, and ripped open the envelope sealed with sealing wax and a string.

It was the first time I received an invitation after the possession.

'What is the meaning of this?

And I was so excited...(/oï¼¼)'

When I saw the contents of the letter and the sender, my excitement disappeared in an instant.

It was a invitation to a Magic Theory Conference.

Mages, wanted to study the formula more in depth, and they were asking me if I could make a presentation about it.

"My peacefull life…"( ｡ﾟДﾟ｡)

'I was reborn with beauty and wealth, but I only receive invitations to Academic Conferences and not to fancy parties or social gatherings.

(　ＴДＴ)

But, still, I am glad that it wasn't a duel request.'

Even if it was annoying, I still replied that I would attend. It was a great opportunity to promote my improved formula.

'It appears that all the mages have become my stupid customers.'

"Tell them that it is a positive answer."

"Yes, Princess. Also, Helen the designer, has arrived with the new collection for the Spring Flower ball."

"Alright, I will go to the living room."

Just as I sat down on the sofa, the door opened and many servants started coming in with their arms full of spring inspired dresses.

Helen Zihto, the designer that Deborah picked directly, in the Yones District, has been designing my clothes since I was reborn.

From the chic and urban feeling to the glamorous and sophisticated feeling, she was the best at choosing clothes that went well with Deborah's looks.

'Because Helen is a talented designer, I let her decide everything until now, but this time I was involved in making the dress for the Spring Flower ball.'

I showed Helen the pink diamond necklace and told her to come up with a design that would go well with that jewel.

'I didn't wear that necklace on purpose because I didn't want to get dragged in the fight that was in the original work of this novel...but every time I think about what that Philap did to me, I feel so angry and wronged.

That bastard has a prejudice against Deborah and will argue with me no matter what I do...so I want to make him understand that he is nothing in my eyes.

And, above all, I can use this opportunity to increase the value of the pink diamond and resell it at a higher price, just as the Blancia Master said, but in order to make the necklace stand out, the design of the dress is important.

Deborah's face and body are the best of the best, so it is up to Helen to do a good job.

But today of all days, the designs are...cute?

From looking at Helen's face, I can see that she's been working overtime to finish them.'

Helen looked at me carefully and started to present them in an unconfident voice.

"Princess Deborah, this dress is made of pale pink silk, with an elegant swan shaped neckline that reveals the shoulders and makes the necklace stand out."

'It is a very pretty dress, but it doesn't suit me!'

After I looked at a few dresses in front of the mirror, to see if they suit me, I opened my mouth.

"Lady Helen, I don't like any of the designs you brought in today.

The frills are overdone, and especially the ribbons.

I am sure you understand what I mean."

Helen lowered her head.

"I apologize Princess Deborah.

I kept thinking about how to match the pink diamond necklace with the dress, that I didn't take into consideration the one who will wear it. I was careless."

'What should I do? The pink diamond has a heart shaped design that gives of a lovely feeling. No matter how good Helen is, if she emphasizes the necklace, it will be in conflict with my image.

Haaaa... that necklace really doesn't suit me at all... Well it is only normal, after all, the necklace was designed to highlight Mia's innocent and charming look in the original work.

I think I will have to give up on wearing the jewel. If I wear one of these cute pink dresses, everyone will think that I am imitating the person next to Philap.

I will be ridiculed by everyone.'

"Lady Helen, don't think about the pink diamond anymore and fix them in a way that suits me."

"I understand, Princess Deborah. "

"I like the off the shoulder one, start with that. But, I would like the color to be a more intense purple than it is now."

After I finished talking with Helen and sending her back, I realised something important.

'I have a dress, but I don't have a partner for the ball!'

Last year, Deborah attended the ball with the son of a vassal, but she returned home early using the excuse of a stomach ache.

'Because she felt bad about Philap rejecting her.'

Before every ball, Deborah implied to Philap that she wanted to be escorted by him, but the results were always negative.

'Why do I have to bear the consequences of her actions? Because of them Philap can't help but think that I like him.'

While I was sipping apple juice deep in thoughts, a knock brought me back to reality.

"What is it again?!"

I raised my eyebrows annoyed as a servant came in with a letter and several large gift boxes.

Now, no matter how I looked at it, it didn't look like the letter and gifts were from a Academic Conference.

"My Lady, a young Master has sent a letter and gifts to you."

"To me? But who?"

As soon as I checked the sender, I choked and spat out the juice.

'Louis Gargell!!'

The guy who gave me that horrible nightmare in which I was chased by newspapers.

I ripped open the letter to check the contents.

'Greetings, Princess Deborah.

Let me introduce myself, I am the eldest son of the Gargell family who owns a fief filled with silver mines in Akon.

I, Louis Gargell, am currently receiving education to become the head of the family…'

The first page of the letter was only about self-praise and nothing else.

'This is that stupid, narcissist and pervert from the original work.'

'I have heard from Sir Belreck about the Princess's beauty… May I ask such a precious person as yourself to be my partner for the ball?

I will wait for a positive reply from you, Princess Deborah.'

'As expected, he wanted to escort me to the ball.'

The ball ia always held at the Imperial Palace, and it was a suitable occasion for men and women to meet.

"Hmm, he really used his head well."

After I read the letter, I opened the gift box, and it was full of silver specialties from the Akon region.

"My Lady, how should we handle these things?"

"Leave them here for now."

"...Sorry? Ahhh...yes.

I understand mu Lady."

The servant was confused by my answer and it was only normal. In the past Deborah always threw the gifts from young men in the trash and burned the letters.

But after her terrible temper was revealed to the world, she lost her popularity with the young men and she didn’t receive anymore gifts or letters.

Deborah was convinced that she didn't lost her popularity, among young men, because of her temper. She thought that they saw her deep feelings of love for Philap, so nobody dared to covet her anymore.

'There is nothing to expect from a consistently stupid character.

The gifts from aristocratic men must have been expensive! Why throw them away?! What a pity.(。･´д'･。)

How much is all of this worth?'

I was delighted as I looked at the silver ingots and ornaments in the box.

'I know that gold coins are more valuable in the Azutea Empire, but silver coins are also circulated, so it is much easy for me to convert them in money than the jewelry I have.

My big brother Belreck, thank you for introducing me to such a good and generous person.

I will make sure to repay you for this favor as soon as possible.'

I grinned while I looked at the silver specialties from the Akon region.

.........

Belreck was confused, and rubbed his forehead while thinking intensely about why Deborah hasn't burned Louis Gargell's letter, but instead received it along with his gifts.

'Why? I thought she would go crazy and have a nasty fit of anger, screaming that she won't accept them unless they are from Philap.'

Belreck was even more confused because lately, he couldn't predict Deborah's behavior. He was so stressed that he started to suffer from severe headaches every night and he lost his appetite.

"Damn it!"

He swore while he roughly swept his long hair.

"How the hell could this happen!!"

'This useless sister of mine that never did anything good, only tarnished the Seymour's family reputation, suddenly created an earth-shattering improved formula and over night becamed a prominent figure in the Magic Theory field.'

It was hard, for Belreck to accept that this whole absurd situation was real, but when he saw the formula he felt that heart stopp and a chill going down in his spine.

'This is so fucked up!'

The formula was very useful for battle mages, because for them the casting speed was important. And above all things, his biggest rival and twin, Rosad, was a battle mage.

The Archmage Simeon's magic formula was designed to win wars in the first place, and was the most important formula for battle mages.

That formula was used to arrange the regularity of mana circulating around a mage, by using that formula, battle mages can amplify the magical effect using it to transform it in a shape to hit the enemy.

But it was a difficult to become a battle mage, it wasn’t something that everyone could do, because the formula used the mana from an external space and not the mana that is circulating in ones body.

And the casting, especially, takes a long time.

'But Deborah transformed the slow and complicated casting process in a simple one!'

Belreck had even heard that if you use the improved formula that Deborah created, there won't be any mana loss, that was the side efect that happened because of to the long chanting time.

Even he could tell that it was literally a revolutionary improvement for battle mages, for whom the speed of casting was life-saving.

'Rosad is probably going crazy with joy by now? He can enjoy all the benefits that the formula brings, with only 7 silver coins a month, unlike me.

Even though I subscribed, I don't get to enjoy anything.'

"Young Master, you don't look good."

His vassal said in a worried voice.

"My head hurts."

Belreck lowered his long eyelashes and closed his eyes tightly, looking depressed.

"Sir. Belreck, you've still made great progress in your artifact research."

"So what? I should always have a comparative advantage against my enemy!

We both were fighting as equals, but now Deborah gave Rosad an amazing advantage! Can't I even get a headache?!"

"Is the improved formula that great?"

Belreck laughed bitterly.

"Just great?"

He felt a sense of shame for being proud to be called the most talented genius among the researchers of the Wizard Association, all these years.

Even, Rosad his twin brother, who most of the time was one step ahead of him, didn't ever managed to make him feel so miserable.

When he saw the improved formula, the past, in which he neglected and mocked Deborah, unfolded like a film in Belreck's mind, and he experienced for the first time the feeling of wanting to hide in a hole like a mouse.

'Why did Deborah act like an idiot when she is a genius?'

He was so embarrassed by the way he acted that he didn't have the confidence to face Deborah. Because of that he was stuck at the Wizard Association instead of going home.

"Is it not, young Master?"

"How can you even ask something like that?!

I don't want to talk with a stupid person like you...I feel like I am going to become ignorant too.

Get lost!"

After dismissing his vassal, Belreck  was left alone in the office, struggling with his conflicting feelings about Deborah and the whole situation.

"But why is Louis Gargell, that country bumpkin rushing here so suddenly? All of this is so annoying."

He already had a headache thanks to Deborah, but now Louis Gargell's actions made Belreck's mind even more chaotic.

A few months ago, he exchanged letters with Louis Gargell several times, with the meaning of introducing his sister as a candidate for his wife. And in the process, he received some silver as a gesture of thanks, that was the custom.

It was common for an older brother to introduce his younger sister to the young noblemen around him.

'I thought nothing would come out of it.'

Belreck tried to arrange an meeting between Gargell and Deborah, but he was so busy with his research that it was delayed for quite some time, and Louis Gargell's also didn't insist.

'But after hearing the news about what Deborah did, that bastard Gargell changed his half hearted attitude and acted without my knowledge.

But what is bothering me the most is that I don't understand why Deborah  accepted his gifts.

Wasn't she in love with Philap?

I thought she would throw away the gifts from that country bumpkin.'

While he was deep in thoughts, swimming in his bitter feelings, his vassal came in his office.

"Sir. Belreck."

"What is the matter?"

"Duke Seymour called you to his office."

Belreck, quickly arrived from the Wizard Association to the mansion through a magic circle, only to be greeted by a dark atmosphere.

"Sit down Belreck."

"Yes."

His father had a angry expression when he saw him. There were deep wrinkle between his brows, and his silver eyes showed signs of anger.

Belreck lifted the hot teacup, anxiously.

"Belreck."

"Yes, Father."

"I heard rumors that you are trying to set up the eldest son of Count Gargell with Deborah. Is that true?"

'I indeed planned to do that, but how come he knows about it?'

"I heard that the reason Deborah can't throw away the gifts, is because of your honor, to not make you look bad because you are the one who set them up?"

'Deborah never cared about my feelings. Why is she suddenly using me as an excuse,'

Belreck felt baffled by Duke Seymour's words. But he wanted to know why his father was giving off a bloody atmosphere only because of that.

In the past, when his father had to deal with one of the problems that Deborah created, harassing a young lady who was hovering around Philap, his father said the following with a tired expression on his face:

"He rejected her marriage proposal! For how long is she going to insist?

It is terribly embarrassing.

Belreck, if you have another young man in mind, introduce him to her, quickly!"

So Belreck thought that there was nothing wrong with his actions. And above all, Deborah is of marriageable age.

"Father, it's normal for an older brother to introduce a good young man to his younger sister.

Deborah is also old enough to think about marriage..."

Before Belreck could finish his sentence, Duke Seymour interrupted him.

"You punk! Do you think it is normal to entrust your sister to a Count's family in the west, the farthest land from the Seymour's estate, and on top of that in the countryside?

Why on earth are you doing something so stupid that I didn't even tell you to do?"

"But father, the Gargell family owns a large silver mine, and you also told me to introduce Deborah to some young noblemen before…"

"When did I ever? I never told you that!"

Belreck almost dropped the teacup from his hand when he heard his father confidently denying everything.

'Now this is just absurd! You clearly said that around this time last year!'

However, if he said those words out loud, the whole situation would turn in to a mess, so he shut his mouth, trembling with anger.

'Father, you used to be the most level-headed and objective person I knew.'

His father, who only looked at Deborah with a pathetic gaze had disappeared. And in front of him, remained a good for nothing person that has lost his reasoning.

'Something is wrong ever since you bought her that pink diamond. How did everything end up like this?'

While Belreck held back his words Duke Seymour calmed his anger a little and cleared his throat several times.

"Don't bother yourself with Deborah's marriage from now on. Do you understand?"

"Still, father, if she continues like this refusing every candidate for marriage, wouldn't it be better for me to step in?"

Although Deborah demonstrated that she had the ability of a Seymour, for the first time, Belreck desire to remove her from his eyes as soon as possible didn't fade.

'Because of Deborah, I have lost one of my precious vassals.'

But even if he went ahead with it, the marriage would only take place if the head of the family gave permission.

"You think that you are doing a good job, but all you do is to meddle unnecessary!

I don't know if it is because you are stuck every day in the Wizard Association that you have no common sense…"

"I was just worried about my sister as an older brother."

"I am more worried about you.

But if you still want to introduce someone to Deborah, he must be a better ice wizard than me.

Then I will consider it.'

'What a joke! There isn't anyone in this world who can surpass you in ice magic. So you want to have a genius mage as your son in law. Are you even serious?'

"That… I will keep that in mind.

I am sorry for disturbing Father's mind with my rash actions."

"If you understood, you can leave now."

"Yes."

Belreck went out of the office with a tired expression.

'It feels like everything is getting more twisted. I had the same restlessness feeling  whenever I caused trouble as a child.

And this ominous feeling was correct.'

............................